“Migrant worker” eliminated from official documents: The use of “migrant worker” or nong ming gong is being removed by many local governments in an effort to reduce discrimination against transient laborers. “New-type contract worker" or xin xing he tong gong ren will replace the term.

Shortage in elderly care workers:People’s Daily reports on China’s severe shortage caretakers as the number of elderly people continues to rise. Young migrant workers, rather new-type contract workers, don’t want the jobs.

Weibo proves good fundraising venue: Giving campaigns on Weibo, China’s Twitter, show that large numbers of people are willing to give donations to grassroots requests. One request for clothing was forwarded over 100,000 times. Strangely some people sent dirty clothes, but it’s a strange world and overall this trend is a positive one.

China’s new poverty line: In December, China raised its rural poverty line to RMB 2300 (360 USD), a 92 percent increase from 2009. The new standard adds 100 million people to the 26.9 million who were already deemed impoverished. President Hu Jintao said, "By 2020, our general target is to ensure the nation's impoverished will no longer need to worry about food and clothing. Their access to compulsory education, basic medical care and housing will also be ensured.” For more info see here, here and here.

Experts call for domestic violence law: Domestic violence remains a serious and seldom addressed issue in China with no concrete laws to protect women against abuse. Xinhua reports that experts are calling for legislation that would change this and bring more awareness to the issue, which affects an estimated 24.7 percent of Chinese women.

China’s paper sector to reduce energy consumption: Around 100 of China’s major paper producers signed a proposal to reduce energy use by 18 percent in the next five years. The China Paper Association says energy and resources have already dropped 18 percent in the past five years.

Gates partners with Chinese government: The Bill Gates & Melinda Gates foundation has formed a new partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology aiming to alleviate poverty and hunger through health and agricultural advancements.

City life difficult for many migrant workers: A survey of 2500 young migrant workers found less than 6 percent were well adapted to city life. Over half of those polled said that city dweller’s most unacceptable behavior was looking down them migrant workers. The survey also found that marriages were strained by financial difficulties. Housing costs and paying for education in cities were the top marriage stressors.

January 11, 2012

In the wake of 2011’s high profile charity scandals, the Chinese government introduced new guidelines for how charities and NGOs should report donations and financial statements. The guidelines follow an initial draft created in the summer of 2011, which were posted online for public feedback.

According to China Daily, the guidelines say that NGOs should disclose information on what donations they receive, how they fundraise, how they will use that funding and who benefits from their programs. Specifically NGOs should:

Publish receipt of a grant within 15 working days and within a month of distributing donations

Notify the public within 72 hours of donations made for an emergency or natural disaster

Disclose information every six months or less on programs lasting six months or more so donors and the public can track its progress.

These guidelines are not law yet but are a step closer. A final set of rules is expected later this year.

On the heels of the national guidelines, Shanghai introduced its own draft of regulations on December 20. The city’s Ministry of Civil Affairs said their goal was to create a more “credible, transparent and competitive system,” reported the People’s Daily. With only about 30 percent of Shanghai’s charities online at all, the public has little access to their operations.

December 06, 2011

Grassroots NGOs (most of which are unregistered) can be found in almost every area of China. Yet most of them struggle with critical problems – a lack of financial support, no legal identity (see our previous post), poor communication with government bureaus and public mistrust. Mere training courses (which in themselves are few and far between) are insufficient to meet these issues.

To answer this need, a handful of nonprofit incubators have emerged to foster tomorrow’s influential organizations. Enpai has been the leading incubator since Lv Zhao founded it in 2006. Using the existing model of a business incubator, the Shanghai-based organization’s core service is a one-year systematic training program that provides groups (many who are still in the idea stage) with nonprofit registration guidance, capacity building courses, financial support and government and public relations. The free program also helps organizations develop long-term fundraising strategies.

With sponsorship from the Narada Foundation and the Ford Foundation, Enpai rents a large office where groups have use of professional facilities at a small cost. Several organizations share the same space providing the added benefit of a collaborative atmosphere where they can share information and experiences. Enpai also provides groups with a small stipend to cover their administration costs.

September 14, 2011

China’s social sector has taken quite a hit recently with charity scandals left and right. The result has been a sharp decline in donations to nonprofits and even a reduction in blood donations. It’s easy to forget that good things are still happening, but today let us remind you with some positive updates.

More Aid for Street Children: The Chinese government has promised to ramp up its protection of street children and be “more pro-active” in helping them by tracking down their families or putting them in foster care as part of a 10 year outline focused on women and children. The China Daily reports that the government will concentrate on children forced or coerced into theft, begging and prostitution. For more on the plight of street kids, check out our post on Baoji Xinxing Aid, an NGO that engages the community in helping children get off the street.

Global Fund Lifts China Grant Freeze: Late last year, the Geveva-based Global Fund, which provides grants to fight HIV/AIDS and other diseases, pulled its funding from China after finding that grassroots NGOs were not getting enough of it. While Global Fund has not completely resolved its conflict with the government, they are lifting their grant freeze. Chinese grassroots NGOs will now be able to directly apply for funding, and the Fund’s over $200 million will again make an impact on disease treatment and prevention in China. More info in Chinese here and here.

NGO Incubators Heat Up: NGO incubators provide a crucial service in the development of China’s social sector. Over the past two years, Guangzhou’s NGO incubator has helped 19 organizations (including two grassroots groups) obtain legal registration under the Guangzhou Municipality Bureau of Civil Affairs. Last year Beijing’s Nonprofit Incubator successfully graduated its first six organizations. The group, which is part of a four-city network of incubators, recently signed an agreement with the Beijing Municipal Committee to run the new Beijing Municipal Social Organization Incubation Center. The Center features office facilities, a multi-media meeting room, and space for activities where new organizations will be equipped to run impact-driven organizations.

Young and Inspired NGO Workers: Two of the young staff of Shoulder Action, an education-focused NGO, discuss what inspired them to join the nonprofit sector. This is my first introduction to the group, and they seem to take a very thoughtful approach to their work.

September 01, 2011

For years scholars, international organizations, and local nonprofits have called for China’s government to loosen regulations that make it difficult for three million nonprofits to legally register. The central and provincial governments have varied in their treatment of nonprofits with each region adopting their own policies. Over the past year, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), which governs the social sector, progressed from talking about new laws for the social sector to drafting and submitting them for review. Even so, they admit there is no specific timeline for the approval and implementation of these plans.

In this post we take a look at what laws the MCA proposed and the possible effects they will have on China’s social sector.

China’s 12th Five-Year PlanIn July 2010, an article in Xinhua quoted an officer of the Legislative Affairs Office as saying the draft of a new charity law was “generally written.” Coinciding with these promised laws, the central government prepared for the 12th five-year plan, which mapped out reform from 2011-2015. The major changes proposed to the social sector were:

August 20, 2011

Beijing is closing migrant schools, GOOD acquires Jumo, China Red Cross makes a move to increase transparency and more links...

Beijing Closes Migrant Schools: The Wall Street Journal reports the closure of several migrant schools days before classes are set to resume. Is the city trying to pare down migrant population or keep children safe?

Jumo Sold to GOOD: This week Jumo, the social networking site promoting social good, announced it has been acquired by GOOD, a company promoting social causes. Started by Chris Hughes who co-founded Facebook, Jumo kicked off last fall but has yet to distinguish itself as the Facebook for do-gooders.

Another Internet Giving Campaign: After a student hit and then stabbed a young mother last year, Shanghainese lawyer Fu Weigang started a microblog campaign to raise money for the family. For every forward of his post, he promised to donate 1 RMB. With 545,000 posts and donations from friend, family, and other bloggers he recently fulfilled his promise to the woman’s family who will use the funds for her child’s education and to pay off hospital bills from the incident.

July 16, 2011

“Happy Chat Rooms” offer psych services: A free service out of Guangzhou provides free psychological consultations online, through phone calls, and in person. "In this transitional period in society, people are under unprecedented psychological pressure,” Chen Jun, director of the Applied Psychology Department of the South China Normal University, told China Daily.

Bill and Baidu Tackle Smoking in China: Bill Gates and Robin Li, founder of Chinese search engine Baidu, announced a partnership to take on smoking in China last week. In a country where smoking is a national habit, Baidu has boldly banned smoking on the company’s entire premises; however CFO Jennifer Li (no relation to Robin) is on the Phillip Morris’ international board. Yikes.

Compulsory Education for Disabled Children: In the next five years, China will extend its compulsory education to disabled children. China has made great strides to provide children with nine years of school, but a lack of resources and understanding of the needs of disabled children has meant some of them are locked out of the system. The new plan will eventually provide disabled children with 12 years of free education.

More Problems for China’s Red Cross: (In case you’ve missed it) the Red Cross Society of China faces another round of criticism as more allegations of overspending and misuse of funds arise, in addition to the recent outcry over a lavish feast hosted by the organization. A survey finds that the Chinese public is increasingly distrustful of country’s largest and most visible charity.

Do More Than Give: A new book published in March titled Do More Than Give: The six practices of donors who change the world by Leslie R. Crutchfield, John V. Kania and Mark R. Kramer illustrates a ‘catalytic’ approach to philanthropy. The book aims to “to highlight effective problem-solving philanthropy and to provide a roadmap for all donors who aspire to maximize the impact of their charitable resources.” For more info see Philanthropy UK’s review.

Discrimination Faced by People with HIV: A report from UNAID finds that Chinese living with HIV face significant discrimination in the workplace, with medical professionals, and other areas of the public sphere. Nearly 50 percent of people received support from their families.